A Tabby-Cat's Tale

by Han Dong, Nicky Harman (Translator)

Tabby isn’t an ordinary house-cat. Though he’s the most beautiful, captivating animal to grace the rooftops of Nanjing, Tabby is also prone to unpredictable outbursts of clawing and scratching, and to raging incontinence, and he has a slightly out-of-control flea problem. But he is beloved. And despite the trouble he causes with the neighbors, the sleepless nights he forces their aging mother to suffer through, and the wedge he nearly drives between the narrator’s brother and his wife, Tabby becomes the singular obsession of the entire household. In fact, life outside of Tabby fades into insignificance, and he soon wields a beguiling, incomprehensible, and inescapable dominion over them all. Written with verve and a slightly twisted comic imagination for readers of Takashi Hiraide or Haruki Murakami, A Tabby-cat’s Tale is as delightful as it is charming. Han Dong was born in 1961 in Nanjing, China. His parents were banished to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, taking him with them. When the Cultural Revolution ended, he studied philosophy at Shandong University, graduating in 1982. Han Dong has been a major player on the modern Chinese literary scene since the 1990s, and his first novel Banished! (2003) was translated into English in 2009.

Genres: China, Fiction, Chinese Literature

43 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2014

About the author

Han Dong’s parents were banished to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, taking him with them. When the Cultural Revolution ended, he studied philosophy at Shandong University, graduating in 1982. He subsequently taught in Xi’an and Nanjing, finally relinquishing teaching in 1993 and going free-lance as a writer.

Han Dong began writing in 1980, and has been a major player on the modern Chinese literary scene since the 1990s. He is well-known as one of China’s most important avant-garde poets, and is becoming increasingly influential as an essayist, short story writer, blogger and novelist.

Reviews

[Eliza Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The English definition of the title states it is if a fabric or silk with a striped pattern. It also has another meaning, which has little to do with appearance. Which meaning was the first?
The meaning of tabby as striped patterns was the first in the English language. The Arabic name for fabric is ‘Atabi.’ It has its origin in the ancient district of Baghdad, Attabiah. The name ‘Atabi’ became an English name in the 17th century. English speaking people converted the pronunciation to tabby and used it to describe anything that had striped. The word became a standard description of striped cats in the 18th century.
Learn about the meaning of tabby

[David Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dong provides a delightful and emotional tale of a family's life morphing around the needs of its pet cat. No second or period is wasted during the telling and readers will likely find themselves nearly at the end before they've convinced themselves to set it down and tend an incessant door bell or biological urge. Although the deeper aspects and layers of the tale will likely elude most readers, most if not all will find it a rewarding read.